Question

Difficulty: MediumMalware Detection, Removal, and Prevention

A cybersecurity technician at a digital media firm is responding to a workstation infected with spyware. Arrange the following remediation steps in the exact sequence required by the CompTIA 7-step malware removal process.

  1. 1Quarantine the infected workstation to isolate it from the network.
  2. 2Disable System Restore in Windows.
  3. 3Update anti-malware definitions and perform a full system scan.
  4. 4Enable System Restore and create a new system restore point.
  5. 5Educate the end user on safe browsing habits and threat prevention.

Answer

The correct sequence follows the standard CompTIA 7-step malware remediation process: first quarantine the infected workstation, then disable System Restore, followed by updating anti-malware signatures and scanning, then enabling System Restore and creating a new restore point, and finally educating the end user.
The official CompTIA 7-step malware remediation process consists of: 1. Identify symptoms, 2. Quarantine infected systems, 3. Disable System Restore, 4. Remediate infected systems (update anti-malware software and use scan/removal tools), 5. Schedule scans and run updates, 6. Enable System Restore and create a restore point, and 7. Educate the end user. The sequence correctly orders steps 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Isolate the compromised system.
Workstation is quarantined from network connectivity.
Prevents lateral movement of the malware across the local network.
2
Turn off system backup mechanisms.
Windows System Restore is disabled.
Prevents malicious files from being indexed into restore snapshots.
3
Remediate active infections.
Anti-malware signatures are updated and a full scan purges infected files.
Ensures complete detection and removal of malware.
4
Re-establish system rollback points.
System Restore is enabled and a clean baseline point is created.
Restores system protection features only after the machine is verified clean.
5
Deliver user security training.
End user is trained on security awareness.
Mitigates future social engineering and malware infection vectors.

Key Concept

CompTIA 7-Step Malware Remediation Process
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